Managing Jake
by irma66
Summary: Jake's on the warpath after Veronica breaks into his house. Can anyone convince him to drop his vendetta against the Mars family? ** A companion piece to Dissolutioned **
1. Chapter 1

" _Mr. Kane, I need to make you aware of…an incident…involving your father."_

Duncan closed his eyes and sighed. "CW, my _father_ is Mr. Kane. I know it's difficult for you but please, can you call me Duncan?"

" _Alright, sir. He is very distressed and I think you need to be made aware of the circumstances."_

Duncan shifted the phone to his other ear. "Is he okay?"

" _Physically, yes, but a situation has developed recently that has upset him greatly and I am concerned that his decision-making may be…compromised at this time."_

"What's going on?"

" _First, sir, are you aware of a group known as The Castle?"_

Duncan was aware. At one time, his father had expected him to attend his alma mater as an undergraduate and that expectation had included membership in this secret society. Obviously, the secret part of this expectation had not been kept all that well between the Kane men but Jake was a prominent member of the group and he had made Duncan aware of them shortly after Duncan's induction into Neptune's junior league secret society, The Tritons. Of course, getting his high school girlfriend pregnant and then running away with their daughter in his senior year at Neptune High had put a damper on many of the expectations that Duncan's parents had had for him. Personally, Duncan was unconcerned about these details; he was thrilled to be with his daughter and his parents' refusal to help him achieve custody of Baby Girl Manning after Meg's death still stung. The loss of _their_ goals for him as a result of his life on the run was the very least of his concerns.

"Yes, CW, I know about The Castle. I assume Dad is devoting a lot of time to them since he's on his own now? The divorce is final, Lilly's dead, and I'm in the wind. What else does he have to do? He's got worker bees for all the Kane Software stuff these days."

" _Yes, that is an accurate assessment. However, The Castle's…sovereignty, for lack of a better term, was compromised recently. This happened at your father's new home and he has not responded well."_

"Obviously not; someone broke into the house? Just for The Castle?" Duncan rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Do you know who broke in? Were they apprehended?"

" _Yes sir, we do know. It was Veronica Mars."_

* * *

Duncan listened in stunned silence as Clarence Weidman outlined the events of the last few weeks. How Veronica and her current boyfriend ( _not Logan, thank God_ ) had been caught on video _in flagrante_ from a camera feed intended to capture images of a Castle initiate. How that video had been cut and distributed by a collegiate member of The Castle, making Veronica a viral sex tape star ( _oh God, not Veronica too_ ). How Veronica had attempted to take matters into her own hands ( _shocking_ ) and had broken into Jake's new house, not even aware that it was Jake's house, to try to exact some vengeance for her humiliation. How her actions, stealing and decrypting a hard drive ( _defeating Jake Kane's security measures?_ ) had been uncovered, resulting in her father's arrest, disgrace, and ultimate loss at the polls in the recent sheriff's election.

Listening to Clarence's outline of the facts made Duncan feel physically ill. After the scandal with the sex tapes of Lilly and Aaron, Duncan was appalled that Veronica had been victimized in a similar fashion. He was gratified when Clarence advised that the collegiate Castle member who created the tape had been on the receiving end of a sound beating by Logan. Apparently even if Veronica was engaging in sex tape activities with someone else, Logan was still riding to her rescue. Despite his concerns about how might Veronica feel about Logan, Duncan was glad that his former best friend had been there to do what he did best. Beat the crap out of the evildoer.

"Okay, so what is happening now that you're concerned about?"

Clarence's final point was that Duncan's father was now clamoring for someone's blood. He intended to see a Mars behind bars whether it was Keith, Veronica, or both. The events of the last few years had taken their toll. From the moment that Lilly's death was discovered, the Kanes had been on high alert, assuming that Duncan was the guilty party. The actions undertaken to change Lilly's presumed time of death had horrified Jake. Watching his beautiful daughter's body covered in a blanket and a layer of ice had nearly broken him, particularly since her open-eyed face had to be untouched to avoid obvious evidence tampering so had remained uncovered and bloody for the whole process. Duncan was virtually catatonic after finding Lilly's body so he did not have any memories of his own of what had occurred that night but once Lilly's true killer was discovered, many of the details were disclosed to him. Beyond the stress of the cover-up, the pursuit by Keith had been trying and when Jake became aware of Celeste's actions in driving his long-term mistress out of town, that, coupled with the ongoing question of Veronica's paternity, had brought Jake very close to his breaking point. The obstruction of justice case, although ultimately resolved with nothing more than a hefty fine, forced both Jake and Celeste to relive the worst night of their lives and when they lost their only remaining child to a life on the run, the Kanes essentially broke. Jake and Celeste separated, and later divorced. Duncan had thought when that occurred that Jake would re-kindle his affair with Veronica's mother but ultimately, it never appeared that he had. Instead, he had purchased a new estate in Neptune and had tried to hold on. Duncan knew that Jake's work at Kane Software had become virtually non-existent and that he had become something of a recluse in his new home. He had not realized that Jake was now filling all his spare time with The Castle but with nothing else left in his life, Duncan was not terribly surprised.

" _I assumed sir, that you would have a different position on dealing with the Mars family."_

Duncan thought it was the height of irony that the family's security guy was now consulting with him on strategy. Duncan could still hear Veronica's voice from two years ago, " . ," and wondered if she realized how untrue that statement had become. She had watched him throw away his life of comfort and ease to ensure the safety of his daughter but she had no idea what happened after that. Life on the run had changed Duncan and he thought ( _hoped_ ) Veronica would find those changes to be...intriguing. His decision to reach out to Clarence Weidman a year ago and order the hit on Aaron's life after the debacle of the trial was done more for the sake of Veronica than any vengeance for Lilly. The rationale he verbalized to CW was the terrible risk that Aaron loose on the street posed to both the Kane and Mars families as well as to Logan. He believed that was true. He also spoke of retribution for taking Lilly's life, and he believed that was true also. However, he was more circumspect about voicing his feelings about making Aaron pay for everything that had happened to Veronica. Lilly's death had changed Veronica, changed all of them really, but the person who had paid the greatest price was Veronica. There were many people involved in exacting that price...Logan, Celeste, Keith & Leanne, he was even mature enough to acknowledge that he was to blame as well. However, it was likely that none of the things that had caused the changes in Veronica would have happened if Aaron Echolls had stuck to affairs with women his own age and, more significantly, if he not been a homicidal maniac. He thought of Veronica clinging to her father on a gurney when he and his father had pulled up to the confused scene after the showdown with Aaron two years earlier. Duncan had had Aaron killed for hurting Veronica as he had. He only wished she knew it.

"Yes, you're correct. I don't want to see either of them prosecuted. If he backs off, doesn't press charges, can this be fixed?"

 _"Yes, I think it can. The evidence of Ms. Mars' break-in was destroyed; that is part of the case against her father, destruction of evidence. The DA's office can only make a case for that evidence existing in the first place because your father's neighbor supplied Mr. Mars with the security camera that had the images; he watched the film with Mr. Mars who was acting sheriff at the time, before the election. Just like with the tapes from the pool house, the neighbor can testify as to what he saw but if he does not, they don't have a case. I think the neighbor would just as soon let it go but your father is pushing him."_

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Clarence's tone was slightly tentative. _"Yes, but my opinion on appropriate actions not related to a direct security issue is not something that your father really seeks. I think though that if you were to suggest that he should let the issue drop, he would be persuaded. Truthfully, I thought he was going to drop it when Ms. Mars returned the hard drive but..."_

"Wait. She returned it?"

 _"Yes. I'm not even sure that she knew what she was stealing in the first place. She came looking for information on who taped her and put the video on-line. It was merely an unfortunate series of events that resulted in her walking out with the Castle confessions."_

Duncan shook his head. Leave it to Veronica to find the most explosive thing in the house and walk away with it. "Oh shit, really? If she has that information, probably the entire Castle membership is pushing him to prosecute."

 _"You might think that but the more important members would prefer that he let it drop. They are afraid that if pushed too far, Ms. Mars may divulge some of their secrets. She has a bit of a reputation for being a loose cannon—"_ Duncan snorted at that _"—and they would prefer to just close the issue and pretend nothing ever happened."_

Duncan was still chuckling at the understatement of the year. Loose cannon, indeed. "So you think I can convince him to drop this."

 _"I think that if anyone can, it would be you. Ms. Mars actually came to see him herself, begging for leniency for her father and for protection for young Mr. Echolls, but your father...well, let's just say he was unmoved."_

Duncan considered this. Clarence was probably correct. And, who else would try to convince Jake about this anyway? Certainly not Celeste. Despite the fact that Keith and Veronica were as victimized by the affair between Jake and Lianne as Celeste had been, she applied her hatred with a very broad brush and anyone named Mars was subject to her anger. Who else would even think to approach Jake about this issue? Logan? If he wasn't with Veronica, he might not even be fully aware of the situation and if he did know, it was doubtful whether Jake would be responsive to him. Once upon a time, Jake had been fond of Logan. Even when it was obvious that Jake's presumably only daughter was sexually involved with Logan, Jake never seemed to respond to him the way that Keith Mars always did to his daughter's suiters. Perhaps it was that Jake saw the inevitability of Lilly's escapades and figured Logan was a less undesirable option than other potential boyfriends. Or, perhaps Jake was aware of the life that Logan lived with Aaron. Regardless of the reason for Jake's prior leniency with Logan, the revelation that Aaron had killed Lilly ended that. The fact that Logan mourned Lilly and hated Aaron with as much, if not more, passion than the Kanes was not relevant to Jake. For that reason, Duncan knew that any pleas from Logan on behalf of the Mars family might actually be counter-productive. And who else was there? No one. If anyone had a chance of swaying Jake, it had to be Duncan.

"OK, CW, I'm in. But you know I can't come see him in Neptune. You're going to have to get him to me. Any ideas for how you can accomplish that?"


	2. Chapter 2

Duncan stood in the upstairs hallway staring without seeing at reminders of a lost life. He was comfortable enough in this current location that he had begun to hang pictures of his family and friends. Clarence was working out the details of misdirecting Jake to a business trip that would result in a surprise reunion with his only son and, despite his previous feelings of relative security, Duncan wondered if bringing Jake to the home he had made with Lilly for the last year was a good idea. His daughter was nearly eighteen months old and was in everything, always with a devil-may-care smirk that her aunt would have adored. Child-proofing had been a huge task and he shuddered at the idea of going back on the run again, this time with a precocious toddler.

The thought of that daughter spurred him to the nursery door. It was early morning and he hoped that Lilly was still sleeping but he realized this was probably wishful thinking. He turned the knob silently and edged the door open enough to peek in. As he suspected, Lilly was awake and had managed to wriggle up and over the crib rail and was now sitting at her little table, coloring. Two mornings ago, he had entered the room to find his daughter straddling the rail, unable to complete her escape but unwilling to bump back into the crib. Now, only two days later, she could no longer be contained. It was apparently time to convert the crib to a toddler bed.

"Hey Lilbit, whatcha doin'?"

At the sound of his voice, his daughter sprang to her feet and ran to him, throwing her arms around his legs. "Daaaddy! I up!"

"I see that, missy," Duncan said, stooping to pick her up. "How did you get up?"

"I climb up and fly!" Her arms flew up, showing him flying, and he shuddered. Ugh...definitely converting the crib. Today. Trips to the hospital were generally not the best idea for even the most secure fugitives who wanted to continue living under the radar.

He smoothed her wild curls, pushing the longer locks behind her ear. "So, are you ready for breakfast?"

"Dippy eggs with sojers!" Lilly clapped her hands excitedly but he grimaced.

"Oh Lilly, why? How about Apple Jacks?"

"Sojers pease?" She clasped her hands together under her chin and gave him the pleading eyes and pouting lips. At times like this, all he could see was his sister.

"I suppose this is my own fault for bringing you to Australia. Vegemite soldiers in dippy eggs, coming up. Let's get a new diaper first."

Several minutes later, Lilly was strapped into her high chair, sharing a sliced apple with the plastic horses she was dancing around the tray. An egg was soft-boiling while a couple slices of bread were toasting. A jar of the most utterly disgusting food Duncan had ever encountered, and that included goose liver pate, was sitting on the counter waiting to be spread on the toast soldiers.

"Hurry Daddy. Horseys need sojers."

"Almost done, sweetie. Did the horseys finish the apple already?"

"Last piece." She took a bite from that slice and then held it in front one of first one toy horse and then the other, offering them nibbles of their own before putting the rest in her mouth. "Mmm, yummy."

Duncan spread butter over both pieces of toast and then cut one piece into four narrow strips. He took a deep breath and then opened the jar of Vegemite. He did his best not to breathe while he spread two of the slices with the yeast paste. He cracked the egg open and put the egg cup and toast soldiers on the tray in front of Lilly.

"There you go, lil miss. Most vile breakfast ever, just for you."

She gave him a radiant smile. She would probably grow up thinking vile was a good thing. "Tank oo, Daddy." She used her toast soldiers to dip the soft-boiled egg out of its shell, just like the Aussie housekeeper had taught her. Duncan made do with his buttered toast and coffee, watching his daughter eat, and wondering how a visit from Jake might impact the life he had built.

* * *

An hour later, the remains of the Vegemite and egg were washed out of Lilly's curls and both father and daughter were dressed for the beach. In the first few months of Duncan's self-imposed banishment, he had struggled to stay afloat with a very young infant, absolutely no experience with anything other than a plastic baby, and a very limited financial situation. He had cashed out an account intended for college before he went on the run and as far as he had known, that was all that was left of his inherited wealth. He had washed dishes, painted houses, and picked lettuce while entrusting his daughter to an assortment of babysitters. They had stayed on the move in those months as the initial run to Mexico made it clear that Duncan and his blonde baby stood out like a sore thumb in Central America. He got them to Europe but he still felt exposed without any significant expertise in any language but English. That fact drove him to Australia. They had arrived only a week before the Internet brought him the news that his sister's killer had squirmed his way to an acquittal, using Duncan himself as a compelling alternative theory. If it wasn't bad enough that Aaron had escaped justice, doing it by blaming Duncan was infuriating. It was at this point that Duncan departed from Veronica's careful get-away instructions and made contact with his past.

"Daa-aaadeee! Go beach!"

The high-pitched shriek interrupted Duncan's reverie. His startled gaze dropped to his tiny daughter. She always wanted to select her own clothes and today was not an exception. It was entering the winter season in Australia and although the afternoons were still warming up, the early mornings remained chilly. Lilly was dressed in green leggings with a long-sleeved orange top. Flipflops adorned her feet and a floppy straw hat covered her tangled curls. She flung her arms out to her sides and twirled in a circle that ended when she lost her balance and thumped onto her diapered bottom. He laughed and lifted her up, settling her on his hip.

"You look fabulous, Lilbit. I am at a loss as to how you inherited Uncle Logan's fashion sense but it's cool. Let's get your beach bag and hit the sand, baby."

* * *

Duncan and Lilly, under the names David and Lilly Knight, lived in a modest two bedroom bungalow on Mollymook Beach in New South Wales, Australia. When Duncan learned of the acquittal, they had been living on the outskirts of Perth, on the opposite coast from where they now resided. He had considered his options for several days before deciding that he had to try to take some action against Aaron. Knowing he might be throwing away all his efforts of the last few months, he called someone he thought might help him without emotional ties muddying the waters. That had been an excellent decision. Not only did Clarence deal with the Aaron issue, he was able to secure new identities for both Duncan and Lilly as well as access to Kane bank accounts without the direct involvement of Jake or Celeste. Clarence and Duncan had agreed that there was too much to lose by letting either of his parents know where he could be found. Neither of them were even aware that CW had been in contact with Duncan. Duncan occasionally wondered if the Kane accounts might be funding anything else that only CW knew about but he genuinely didn't care. His parents had not supported his desire to raise his daughter and that left him resentful. He credited Veronica with his original escape and now he had Clarence to thank for his safe and relatively simple life. He was attending college and had a very nice woman come in to watch Lilly and keep the house in good shape while he went to his classes and occasionally surfed. Beyond those activities, he enjoyed life with his daughter but that left him with a lot of free time to dwell on the past and consider what his life was likely to turn into. He thought about the Fab Four a lot. He missed his sister. Before Logan and Veronica became a part of their little quartet, Lilly had been his most constant companion. When Jake told him he had killed her, before Veronica uncovered the real truth, Duncan had been crushed. He couldn't bear the idea of being responsible for the worst thing that had ever happened to any of them. It was only due to his mother's near total lock-down on their home that Duncan wasn't able to follow Lynn Echolls off the Coronado Bridge. At that point, he still thought Veronica was his sister and knew that she was with Logan. He truly saw nothing left to live for. Luckily, Celeste was a control freak and Duncan never got the opportunity to do away with himself. As he watched his daughter chasing sea gulls at the water's edge, he thought, not for the first time, that he had never expected to be grateful for his mother's stiff-necked single-mindedness. It kept him alive and able to save his daughter from the life the Mannings had planned for her.

"Lilly, you're getting too close to the water." He scooped her up before her feet could come in contact with the cold ocean.

"Daddy, no, I swim!"

"It's not summer anymore, little miss. Here, feel." He dipped her feet into the trailing wave and she shrieked.

"Cold Daddy!"

"I know, that's why we're only playing in the sand, not swimming."

"'Kay." She squirmed in his arms and he walked further up the beach before depositing her on her feet in the damp sand. She ran to get her bag of toys and then plunked herself down to dig holes. He knelt beside her to help.

* * *

A couple hours later, they were back at the house. Lilly was conducting a tea party for her dolls in one corner of her room while Duncan turned the crib into Lilly's first "big girl bed". He was hoping that the novelty of a bed that she could get in and out of without having to "fly" would help induce her to take a nap after lunch. She had been resisting naps of late and he missed those little windows of peace. Today especially, he could use some time to consider what was about to happen to his carefully constructed life.

"Okay, missy, come check out your big girl bed." Lilly leapt up from her tea party and ran to him. She stood at the bedside and looked puzzled.

"Up?"

He laughed and lifted her onto the mattress. He assumed it would not take long before she figured out how to use the frame to climb in and out of the bed. "So, what do you think?" She bounced a couple of times and grinned at him.

"Bonzer!"

He laughed at her Aussie slang. "Okay, let's get some lunch and then you and the horseys can take a rest on your new bed."

When lunch was done, while Lilly napped, Duncan checked his email to see if Clarence had completed any arrangements yet. Not surprisingly, an itinerary was already waiting for him. Clarence Weidman was nothing if not efficient. Jake and CW should be in Sydney within forty-eight hours. Duncan now had some planning of his own to do.


	3. Chapter 3

The following evening, Duncan left Lilly in the care of the Australian housekeeper for the night while he traveled three and a half hours to Sydney to meet his father for the first time in more than a year. He had managed to book the next two nights in the Presidential Suite of the Four Seasons so he would be ready when his father arrived for a 10:00 AM meeting the following day. He knew that Jake and Clarence were scheduled to arrive in Sydney at 8:30 PM and he wanted to be tucked securely in his room before they got anywhere near the hotel. The best way to manage this issue was to catch Jake completely off guard and while a chance encounter in the lobby would be a shock, it also seemed ill-advised. As planned, David Knight checked into the Four Seasons by 7:00 PM and settled in for the night. He got a text from Clarence at 9:45 PM advising that Jake was safely in his room and they would be at Duncan's door by 10:00 AM.

It was a long night. Duncan kept rehearsing his reunion with his father in his head. Rationally, he did not expect Jake to react badly to seeing him but his nerves were still on edge as he considered what his father might have to say about his choice to flee with Lilly. He also kept returning to the actual reason for the reunion: he needed to convince his father that Veronica hadn't intended any wrong against him and that Keith didn't deserve what was happening to him again at Jake's hands. He also wanted to know if there was any danger to Logan from the guy that made the sex tape and stop that if he could. He finally dropped off into a restless sleep, waking up more than once to dreams of his best friend bleeding and their mutual ex-girlfriend crying over his broken body. His sister haunted him through the night also.

 _In his final dream before giving up the idea of further sleep, Lilly and Veronica knelt on either side of Logan's still body. Veronica was sobbing, her hands pressed together against her chest near the base of her throat, as if she was forcibly holding her heart in her body. The pool of blood around Logan's head was eerily reminiscent of the photographs Duncan had seen of his sister as her body lay beside their pool. As Duncan watched, Lilly put her hands on Veronica's face and kissed her forehead. She then turned to Logan and kissed his forehead too. Veronica continued to cry but Logan's eyes opened immediately and he smiled at her. "Lilly. Where have you been?"_

 _She gave him a wicked smile and put her hand out to pull him upright. All the blood was gone. "You know me, Logan. Places to be, people to do." He laughed at her and hugged her to his side._

 _"I've missed you."_

 _"You bet you have. Is that why you're trying to get yourself killed? Can't live without me?"_

 _"That wasn't what happened. You don't know what it's been like here since you've gone. Someone has to pay. Ask Veronica."_

 _"You guys might want to try backing off that position. Just a suggestion." Lilly turned to Veronica who continued to kneel at Logan's opposite side with tears streaming down her face._

 _"Veronica Mars. Come on, lil sis, see me."_

 _Until then, Duncan's perspective on this scene had been as a viewer, not a participant, but at that line from his sister, he suddenly found himself standing next to the other members of the Fab Four. "She's not our sister, Lilly. Keith's her dad."_

 _Lilly turned and gave him an exasperated look. "It's not about the blood, Donut. You really need to figure that out." She turned back to Veronica who was still crying beside Logan. She reached forward and smoothed Veronica's hair behind her ear. "Earth to Mars. Come on, honey. He's okay. He'll be okay. You'll both be okay."_

 _Logan looked at the girls with a worried expression. "I don't think she can hear anyone else anymore. She just drives herself until something bad happens."_

 _"Don't you think we should do something about that?"_

 _"Don't you think I've tried? She just gets angry. She doesn't even speak to me anymore unless she has to."_

 _"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then, isn't it?" Lilly pulled Veronica's hands away from where they were clutching at her chest, held them together with both of her own and pulled them to her own chest. "Veronica!" Lilly shouted into her face. "Look at me!"_

 _That finally did it. For the first time, Veronica's eyes came into focus on the face before her. "Lilly?" She blinked in confusion and then noticed Logan sitting next to them, no longer covered in blood. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion and she then saw Duncan, standing behind Lilly._

 _"Are we all dead?"_

 _Lilly gasped and then huffed out an amused noise. "No, of course not. Only me. The rest of you are dreaming."_

 _"All at once?" Logan asked._

 _"More or less. It's actually pretty hard to manage with Duncan on the other side of the world but it helps when both of you are too depressed to do much more than sleep your days away. Helps coordinate your global sleep cycles." Lilly grinned and kissed Veronica's hands before releasing her. "Now, the Donut is trying to shake himself out of this dream so I've got to be quick. This has to stop. You idiots need each other. Veronica! Stop treating Logan like the enemy. He'll do anything for you and all you do is blame him for shit he has nothing to do with. You've been abusing him as badly as I used to. And trust me, that's not cool._

 _"And you, jackass, stick up for yourself once in a while. She's not being reasonable or fair and you deserve some consideration. Remind her what Veronica stands for: truth. She is lying to herself and everyone around her and she's giving up what she really wants."_

 _"How do you know what I want, Lilly?" Veronica was suddenly ready to fight for herself. "You haven't been here. You don't know what my life is like now, or what I want out of it."_

 _"Of course I know, Vee. I'm all-seeing, all-knowing. One of the few benefits of being dead. And, I never age so I'm always seventeen and fabulous."_

 _"What does this have to do with me, Lilly?" Duncan interjected. "Like you said, I'm on the other side of the world."_

 _Lilly reached behind her, grasping for Duncan's hand while keeping her gaze on Veronica. "I know what you're doing today, trying to help these idiots out. It's a good thing you're doing. Don't let Dad's mild psychosis discourage you." She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes sad. "He wants to do the right thing, he's just so lonely and broken. Getting you back is just what he needs. Throw in getting to know the mini-Me and he will be his old self in no time."_

 _"He can't get me back, really. I'm still going to be on the run."_

 _She pulled her hand back and shook her head, turning to look at Duncan again, irritation apparent on her face. 'Dorkus, do you really think Jake Kane can't get you out of trouble with the Feds? That group that has Veronica in so much trouble, the Castle? Do you not think any of them have influence that can get you and my darling niece home again? These two are apparently not the only idiots in this group."_

 _"He didn't help me before; that's why we ran away in the first place."_

 _"That was Celeste's loss of control talking and if you had actually hung in there, they would have eventually come around. I get why you decided not to take the risk but trust me, they would have supported you if it came down to a fight and they will support you now, if you'll let them."_

 _"I guess I'll see. Do you think he'll do what I want about Keith and Veronica?"_

 _"This dream sequence is getting absolutely too literal so I'm not going to talk about that. I just want all of you to remember that you're not alone and you have each other, if you're willing. You've all gotten too far apart." She looked directly into Veronica's face. "Do you hear me?" Veronica's eyes remained downcast and Lilly reached out and tipped her chin up with a single manicured finger. "Do you hear me, Veronica?"_

 _Veronica looked at Lilly and then her features settled into a look of frustration. "Why do you keep trying to make me rely on things I can't? I never thought I'd be tired of dreaming of you, Lilly, but you just make me hurt more. Let me out..." She shook her head fiercely, her whole body shivering, and then she faded away._

 _"Argh, damn!" Lilly swore. She turned to Logan, putting her hand on his knee and shaking him. "Shape up. Make this better." She then turned back to Duncan and put her hands on his arms. "Do your best with Dad, little brother, and remember you can have your life back. It may not be easy but it will be worth it." She slid her hand down Duncan's arm to grasp his hand and reached her other hand to Logan, taking his hand in hers also. "I miss you guys. Don't waste what you still have left." She squeezed their hands and gave them both loving looks. "I'm always with you."_

Duncan opened his eyes in the Sydney hotel suite. He usually hated dreaming about Lilly. When he woke up from those dreams, he felt so alone. They always felt so real, like she was really with him so when he awoke and realized she was not, he generally did his best to go right back to sleep so when he awoke again, he would only have vague impressions of Lilly's presence but no specific details would remain to haunt him. This time though, he wanted to try to remember her encouragement before he met with their dad. The addition of Logan and Veronica was new too and that interested him. Even with the tears and admonitions, there was a feeling of the four of them together that had been lost for almost four years. He remembered it and he craved it. That feeling of being whole, he thought it would help him today, even if it was only an illusion. He glanced at the bedside clock. Quarter to six. His dad would be at his door in four hours. He sprang out of bed with a feeling of confidence that he hadn't experienced in some time. He would persuade his father to back off the Mars family, he would gain protection for Logan against the mob kid, and he would find a way to get home. His sister thought he could do those things so he was going to believe it too.


	4. Chapter 4

_So, yeah, it's been a year and a half. No one was all that interested in a Kane-centric story but once I realized that this was the same universe as Dissolutioned, I needed to finish it to help explain what has been going on with the Kanes before their paths crossed again with Veronica. Just remember what I said at the end of Dissolutioned, Chapter 14. I am never going to choose DuVe so don't worry too much about Duncan's plans._

* * *

At 9:30 AM, a text from a blocked number came across Duncan's cell phone.

'At your door' was the cryptic message.

Duncan assumed his mystery caller was Clarence Wiedman but he peeked through the eyehole before he opened the door. No sense inviting the FBI in. Luckily, no Federal agents awaited him, at least not a current one.

"Clarence. It's great to see you." It really was. Duncan hadn't seen anyone that he knew for more than a year. Despite the formal relationship that Clarence made sure to cultivate with his employers, it was all Duncan could do to keep from hugging the man. He knew it was a weird impulse but geez, he'd been really lonely with his only serious contact being his toddler daughter. Plus, Duncan owed most of his current life to this man.

"Mr. Kane, I thought..."

"Please, it's Duncan."

"Yes...Duncan. Sorry. I thought it would be best if I acquired your key card so I can let us into the suite when I bring your father down. He is very emotional these days. I don't want any display out in the hall when he realizes that the potential customer he is meeting is actually you."

Duncan chuckled. "I think that's a great idea. If he's gonna start ranting at me, it would be best to be behind closed doors."

"I don't think that will happen but he is going to be very surprised. Privacy will be paramount to keeping you and your daughter safe."

"Thank you, CW. I really appreciate what you've done for us already and what you're doing now. Let me get you the key card." He went into the bedroom and found the card on his nightstand. He turned it over to Clarence who indicated that they would be back in fifteen minutes.

Duncan spent that time pacing throughout the suite. Those fifteen minutes seemed like fifteen hours as he imagined his father's reaction. He finally came to a stop in the windowed corner of the lounge. The Harbor Bridge could be seen to his left and the Opera House to the right. The view was amazing. He rested his head against the window and took a few deep breaths. At that moment, he heard a quick rap on the door and the beep of the lock mechanism disengaging. He turned to see Clarence entering and then holding the door for his father. Jake advanced into the entry and paused.

"Mr. Knight, it's Jake Kane. Are you here?" They advanced past the entry into the room and Duncan realized that the bright morning backlighting from the windows was hiding his features. As he observed for a moment, he was stunned by how much his father seemed to have aged in the last year. Jake moved further into the suite and spotted Duncan standing before the windows.

"Ah, there you are." He advanced more quickly now, with his hand outstretched. "It's very nice to meet y...Duncan?"

Jake had frozen in mid-stride, with his hand still reaching for Duncan's. Duncan gave him a tentative smile and grasped Jake's outstretched hand. As his father remained frozen in disbelief, Duncan pulled him forward and clasped his arms around Jake's shoulders. "Yeah, Dad. It's me." He felt Jake take a shuddering breath and bring his arms up to embrace him. He realized then that they were both crying.

It took a couple of minutes before Jake's emotional overload subsided. Duncan had briefly found himself murmuring a shushing noise that always worked wonders on Lilly but when he realized it, he had stopped abruptly, feeling that comforting his father in the manner in which he comforted his daughter was a level of strange that was somehow beyond the already odd circumstances. When Jake began to regain some control, he raised his head from Duncan's shoulder, grasped his face in both hands, and gave a fierce grin. "I can't believe you're here."

"It probably is pretty surprising." He stepped out of his father's grip and, resting his hand on Jake's shoulder, led him over to the seating area. He glanced over to Clarence who looked almost moved by the display of emotion.

"How did this happen? David Knight? How long have you been here? And where is my granddaughter?"

Duncan chuckled at the stream of questions. "I'll tell you everything but first, can I get you anything? Coffee, maybe?"

Jake fell heavily onto the couch. "I'll take whatever you've got. Frankly, I wouldn't mind a scotch. I just want to know what is going on with you. Have you been in Australia all this time?"

Duncan walked to the small bar area, checking to see what was there. He wasn't sure about alcohol at 10:00 AM but decided giving Jake a drink wouldn't hurt under the circumstances. He glanced up at Clarence who was seated at the small conference table immediately adjacent to the more casual seating arrangement where Jake was now ensconced. "Anything for you, CW?"

Clarence lifted a water bottle that was next to him and waggled it at Duncan. "I'm fine with this."

Duncan agreed with his drink choice and pulled his own bottle of water out of the mini fridge. As he poured Jake's scotch, he answered the easiest question first. "We've been in Australia for just over a year. We live a few hours from here and I'm going to school."

"School! That's great, son. Just what I expected from you."

"Don't be too excited. It's only part-time and it just gives me something to do. I was going crazy without anything really to do except hang out with a toddler."

Jake sat forward on the couch with a smile on his face. "My granddaughter. Eighteen months old now? She must be beautiful."

Duncan pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened his photos. "Here, see for yourself."

Jake flipped through a multitude of pictures of Lilly over the last several months. "Oh, Duncan, she's adorable. She looks so much like your sister did when she was little."

"Actually, I think she looks like Meg but she does make me think of Lilly. She's a rambunctious little thing." He proceeded to tell his guests several stories about Lilly and her antics. When he told about Lilly getting stuck up on the crib rail a few days earlier, Jake laughed and told them a story about Duncan doing the same thing. Surprisingly, even Clarence had a similar story involving his youngest son, a child Duncan hadn't even realized existed. Jake apparently knew because he asked a question about a daughter and another son. The conversation continued on toddler escapades until a sudden knock on the door startled the conversation into silence. Jake looked panicked and Duncan felt the same when a voice rang though the door.

"Room service."

"I didn't order anything," Duncan began but Clarence cut him off.

"I did." Clarence stood and went to the door. He returned with a cart holding several covered trays. "I assumed you would want to stay in so I arranged this earlier."

"Good thinking, CW," Duncan said with a smile. "I can't believe it's lunchtime already." He started pulling lids off the trays and placed plates for three at the conference table. Clarence gave him an uncomfortable look and Duncan held a hand up to stop him before he said anything.

"We wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you, CW. You can eat lunch with us."

"Absolutely, Clarence. I'm still waiting for an explanation of how we did end up here but in the meantime, you definitely should eat with us."

There were plenty of options in the various trays and all three men had lunch set up in short order. Duncan decided it was time to move the conversation more in the direction to which it had been originally intended.

"So Dad, we've been talking about me for the last two hours. I want to know what's happening in your life."

Duncan was still not completely certain this meeting would end up as he hoped and he did not want to disclose his link with Clarence unless absolutely necessary. Clarence had agreed that it would be better if Jake had the impression that Duncan had initiated this meeting, at least until they were certain that Jake had been convinced that his vendetta was unwarranted.

"Well, I'm not sure what you're already aware of. You know that your mother and I..."

"Yes, I do know about that. I'm just not sure what happened after that. What are you doing now?"

"I bought a new estate in Neptune. I've been working a lot with the Castle collegians. Mentoring and stuff like that."

"It's not really any of my business but I kind of expected that once you and Mom broke up, you and Lianne would...you know...get back together."

Jake looked disgusted. "I will not be getting together with Lianne Mars again. Ever."

Duncan was startled by the rush of anger that shot through him. He had not expected that kind of response. "Why not? Once you weren't cheating on Mom, it wasn't fun anymore?"

Jake's hand slapped down hard on the table and his face turned bright red. "You've got a lot of nerve, son. Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?"

"Like you said, I'm your son. Your son whose parents' marriage was wrecked because you couldn't keep it in your pants." Duncan shoved his chair back and stood to pace angrily. "The guy who had to break up with his first love because she might have been his sister. A brother whose sister was alone on the day she died maybe because her best friend was persona non grata at our house." Duncan stopped pacing and closed his hands on the back of his chair, looking hard at Jake. "All of those things because you couldn't give up your high school sweetheart but didn't want the public to think badly of you and hurt your stock prices. You knew that's what would happen if you'd dumped the mother of your known children for your old girlfriend. Your _married_ old girlfriend. So I think I've got a right to know why you haven't followed through now that you're rid of Mom."

As Duncan ranted, the look on Jake's face had transformed from furious to shamed. When Duncan fell silent, Jake answered him in a low voice.

"I ended things with Lianne before your mother and I divorced. Actually, I ended things with her when you disappeared."

"She wasn't in town then. She left the night Aaron was arrested and as far as I know, she didn't come around again."

"No, she didn't, but...I knew where she was. I had actually gotten her an apartment in San Diego."

Duncan sighed and tipped his head back, glancing at the ceiling for a moment before looking at Jake again. "Close but not too close."

"Yes, that's true." Jake's face was red again but it still seemed to be in shame rather than anger. "When you disappeared, I knew Veronica Mars was behind it. I tried to get the FBI to arrest her but she's so slippery, they couldn't pin anything on her, that little bitch. Lianne kept trying to convince me that I shouldn't blame her precious daughter, who she hadn't bothered to see in nearly a year. I told her that if she was going to side with Veronica, and not help me, we were done. For good. She left then, and I haven't seen her since."

Duncan sat at the table again, his hand covering his mouth, appalled at what he was hearing. He was pretty sure that hand was the only thing keeping him from screaming at his father. He took two deep breaths to try to calm himself and then spoke. "So all this time, you've been blaming Veronica for me leaving. That's why you went after her and Keith so hard in the last few weeks. You're punishing her for me leaving with Lilly."

Jake looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know about that?"

"I just know. You've gone on another vendetta against the Mars family because of me. Last time, because of something you thought I did; this time it's because of something you don't want to believe I could have done on my own."

"I know she talked you into running. You wouldn't have run away if she hadn't been goading you to leave us. She hated us and she made sure she took away the only thing we had left. My only regret is that it doesn't look like she's going to do any jail time. Keith though, I think I've got him. That self-righteous prick is turning out to be more like me than he could possibly want to admit. Leaving aside banging our mutual whore, he did a little obstruction of justice himself to protect his little bitch daugh..."

"DAD! Stop it. Do not say another word against Veronica." Duncan jumped to his feet again, his hands clenched into fists. He was pretty sure he would never strike his father but the urge was strong at that moment.

"Look Duncan, I know she's got you whipped, trust me, I spent years in that situation. But you can't let her keep ruining your life."

"Dad, I'm serious, not another word." Duncan was still standing but he willed his hands out of the fists and pressed them flat against the table. "You need to actually listen to me."

"Son, I know what..."

"No, listen. It wasn't Veronica's idea for me to leave. She told me that you would help me get custody."

Jake looked at Duncan, disbelief on his face. "Then why did you leave?"

"Because Mom told me that you wouldn't."

"But you should have known that I wouldn't have allowed anything that would have put you in jeopardy. Like a federal kidnapping charge."

"Yeah, or a bastard child with no mother at eighteen. That's the thing Mom was sure was jeopardizing my life. At least the life she, and you, had in mind for me."

"No, we didn't want you throwing your life away. Is that so wrong?"

"No, but I didn't think that protecting my daughter from the grandparents that abused her mother and aunts would be throwing my life away. That's where I split from you guys. Veronica was sure that you would come around and she thought I might be able to get support from Lamb after what he saw the night he nearly arrested us for breaking into the Mannings' house."

"Wait. What? What night are you talking about." Jake looked confused.

Duncan nodded. "Oh, right, you weren't really around much that year, so you wouldn't have known. While Meg was in the coma, I got some information that suggested that she was trying to report one of the families she babysat for to the authorities for child abuse. Veronica helped me figure out that it wasn't one of Meg's clients; it was Meg's own family. We broke into the Mannings one night and found Meg's youngest sister locked up in a secret room inside her closet."

"She convinced you to break into their house? Duncan! What if they'd caught you? Or called the police?" Jake was clearly appalled, and not at the right part of the story.

"Dad—were you listening? They had their daughter locked in the wall. An eight-year-old girl, hidden in a secret room with no one else in the house. She was too afraid to even come out when we found her. And stop blaming Veronica. She was doing what I asked her to do. She wasn't leading me astray. If anything, breaking in was my decision and she took a huge risk to help me. Because the Mannings did catch us and Mr. Manning called the sheriff's office."

Both Jake and Clarence looked surprised. "Why didn't we hear from the police?" Jake asked before turning to look at CW. "Did you know about this?"

Clarence shook his head. "No, sir, I did not."

"Lamb showed up and Veronica told him about Grace. Then he hauled us out of the house in cuffs and put us in the back of his patrol car. He went back in the house for a few minutes and when he came back, we drove off and about a block away, he let us go."

"He let you go?" Clarence asked, his voice incredulous. "It was Lamb, not Sacks or that D'Amato kid?"

"Yeah, it was Sheriff Lamb. He obviously didn't do anything because the Mannings were still in charge when Meg died but for whatever reason, he let us go that night." Duncan reached out and placed his hand on his father's arm. "Veronica risked herself to help me. We got lucky with Lamb but that doesn't change anything. I owe her and I need you to make things right."

Jake sighed and shook his head. "Veronica's fine. Keith covered up for her."

"Then I need you to make things right for Keith. We ruined his life once already, Dad. It's not right to do that again."

"It's too late. The election's done. He lost."

Duncan slapped his hand on the table again and Jake jumped. "What about the charges against him? Have those been dropped?"

"No—"

"Then please Dad, get them dropped. This is just wrong. We owe him. Fix this."

Jake stared at him, lips pressed into a tight line. "Why does this matter to you?"

"It's about doing what's right. I used to think that was what you did. What's right." Duncan pressed his hand to his forehead. "Please just fix this."

"This isn't about what's right. This is about Veronica. Has she known how to reach you all this time?"

Duncan's head snapped up to look at his father. "What are you talking about?"

"She called you and got you to come out of hiding to save herself and her father. And you still think she's worth risking yourself? When she obviously doesn't mind if you get in trouble?"

"That isn't what happened. Look, Dad, I'm done fighting with you about this." Duncan pushed back from the table and stood up. "Drop this thing with Keith or we're done. You will never see your granddaughter. Is keeping up a vendetta against a man who was just doing his job when you ruined him the first time worth losing both of us? For good?"

"Duncan, no—"

"I'm not debating this with you. Fix this problem with Keith. And whatever your little Castle creep has planned for Logan—fix that too."

Jake dropped his head into his hands. His next words were muffled. "Or you'll take your daughter and disappear again."

"Yeah, I will," Duncan answered.

"Fine. Consider it fixed." Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket. "When I'm done here, I'd like it if we could go back to your house so I can meet my granddaughter. Will you give me that?"

Duncan glanced at CW, who seemed distracted, but met Duncan's gaze with a subtle nod that Duncan knew his father hadn't noticed. As CW intended. "Okay, Dad. Thank you. This is important to me and I appreciate you seeing your way clear to doing this."

Jake huffed out a breath. "I kinda don't think you gave me much of a choice."

"That might be true but it is the right thing. You're not going to regret this."

* * *

Duncan watched Jake cringe as he bit into the piece of toast that Lilly was holding up for him. "Seriously, Dad, you do not have to eat that."

"Gwampa like?" Lilly asked, patting Jake's cheek with the hand not holding the vegemite soldier and, even as he continued to look like he was going to vomit, Jake still managed to beam at his granddaughter.

"Thank you for sharing, sweetheart," he said in a slightly strangled voice, "but you go ahead and have the rest, okay?" Lilly wrinkled her nose at him, then dipped the toast into her egg and bit into it. At the same time, there was a rap on the door and Clarence stepped into the kitchen. He had a self-satisfied look on his face that Duncan found very disconcerting. It was unusual for Clarence to show any emotion.

"Sojer, C?" Lilly asked, holding up the toast.

"No, thank you," he said with a smile.

"Did you hear something about the case against Keith? Or about Logan?" Duncan asked. His dad had assured him a couple of days ago that those issues had been resolved but something was clearly up.

"I told you, Duncan, the charges against Keith were dropped the same day I called the District Attorney." Jake looked and sounded a little irritated that Duncan was still worrying about this. "It's old news. And Gorya's back in Chicago and I have his uncle's word that there will be no retaliation against Logan for the beating he gave Gorya. Once they knew the whole story, they understood that Logan was just dispensing justice the same way they would have in a similar situation." Jake shook his head. "I guess Logan's eye for an eye mentality plays well with the Mafioso."

Clarence chuckled. "I haven't heard anything more so I think we can safely say both of those problems have been put to bed." He looked over at Duncan with raised eyebrows. "So how would you feel about going home?"

Duncan frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? I am home. Do you think this place is compromised? Do we have to move?"

"No, no, I mean your real home. Neptune. Or wherever, really, you don't have to actually go back there if you don't want to. But how would you feel about being you again?"

Jake spoke before Duncan could find his voice. "What are you talking about, Clarence?"

"I'm talking about fixing Duncan's problem so he and Lilly can come home."

* * *

Duncan sat on the damp sand, watching the dark waves rolling in as he thought about the rapid changes coming. Clarence had taken the information that Duncan had revealed about the Mannings and turned it into the weapon Duncan needed to keep his daughter out of their abusive hands. Duncan wasn't exactly sure what had happened or who had done what to allow for this turn of events but he really didn't care. The details didn't matter; all he cared about was getting his life back. Going home, keeping Lilly, reuniting with Veronica. Those were the only things that mattered. Clarence was welcome to figure out the details for him. Duncan was just happy to reap the benefits.

Jake and Clarence were heading back to the United States in the morning. Duncan and Lilly were remaining behind until the legalities could be ironed out and then they would be able to follow, probably in a month or two. Two more months and he'd be back with Veronica. Duncan almost couldn't believe this was really happening. He'd been sure that he was going to have to live his life without her but now? It was going to be everything he'd dreamed of.

"Son, how are you doing?" Jake appeared out of the semi-darkness and sat down on the sand next to Duncan.

"Pretty amazing, Dad," Duncan answered. "I brought you here to help Veronica and Logan and I'm going to end up getting to come home." He shook his head in disbelief. "It's more than I could have even imagined. I was sure I was going to be on the run for the rest of my life."

"I'm so sorry that you thought you had to go. I hate that we've lost the last year and a half. But now...I'm getting you back. And more than just you. Lilly too."

"That is great," Duncan said. "And I can't wait to get back and see Veronica. Lilly is going to love her too."

The smile fell from Jake's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Veronica and Lilly will be so great together, don't you think? I'm sure it won't be long before they're just like a real mother and daughter. After a while, people won't even remember that they're not." Duncan frowned at the look on Jake's face. "What's the matter, Dad?"

"You're planning to make Veronica Lilly's mom?" His father's voice was hard and Duncan looked at him in dismay.

"Of course I am. I love her. I thought I was going to have to live without her but if we're coming home, I won't have to. I'm going to get her back."

Jake stood up and walked a few steps toward the water, then stopped and turned back to Duncan. "You do get that what caused her problems in the first place was a sex tape. One she made with some new boyfriend. She's not waiting for you. She's with someone else."

"I can't blame her for getting on with her life. I had to leave her. But when I'm able to come back, I know she'll come back to me. You don't know anything about us. We were in love, Dad. That doesn't just go away. You of all people should know that."

"People change, Duncan. And look, she broke into my house. She's not that innocent little girl you fell for in junior high. She's a different person." Jake walked back and sat down next to him again. "Look, I get wanting to recreate something, but it can't always be done. You need to re-think your plans."

Duncan looked at him coldly. "I'm not going to. And if you won't support me...well, I've been on my own before. If my choices are going to make you uncomfortable, maybe I shouldn't be coming home to Neptune."

Even in the darkness, Duncan could see the panic on his father's face. "Duncan, no. You can't mean that. I don't even have you back completely and you're threatening to run away from me again?"

"I'm not threatening anything, Dad. All I'm saying is that Veronica and Lilly and I are a package deal. If you want me and Lilly in your life, you're going to have to adjust to Veronica being there too."

Jake sighed and shook his head. "Well, I hope you can find what you want, Duncan. I just know that these things aren't always as simple as you seem to think."

"Depends how much you want it, Dad. And I think you need to think about what you want." Jake looked at him quizzically. "You know now that Veronica wasn't the reason I ran away. So don't you owe Lianne an apology?"

Jake now looked shocked. "You think I should go after Lianne?"

"If she's who you love. What's stopping you now that you know the truth? Your pride? Anything else?" Duncan elbowed his dad in the side. "You're Jake Kane. She's loved you since you were kids. You certainly don't think that you can't get her back."

"Huh." Jake flopped back in the sand, resting on his elbows. "I guess I'm surprised that you're not trying to get your mom and I back together. Isn't that what all kids of divorced parents try to do?"

Duncan leaned back, matching his dad's position in the sand. "Maybe that's where my own experience comes into play. I know what it's like, losing the person you love the most. If I'm going to try to get my happily ever after, I think you should too."

"I'm really not sure that Veronica Mars is who you think she is, Son, but I guess that's for you to decide." He looked at Duncan and grinned. "So I guess I need to go in and get Clarence started on finding Lianne." He scrambled to his feet and reached out to pull Duncan up after him. "Who knows? Maybe we will both get our happy endings."


End file.
